I'm not me without you
by Kate-lyn89
Summary: Sequel to "How did this happen". Does Tori survive?


Emergency alarms start going off. Trina turns around and rushes to the door.  
"Oh my god, that's coming from Tori's room." She gasps, as all the doctors and nurses run past.  
"What?" I yell, trying to get up.  
"No, Jade! Stop! You can't get out of bed." She says running back to me.  
"Trina... Please!" I beg. The alarms continue to sound. We can hear frantic voices and the movement of medical equipment  
"Stay here!" Trina demands. She rushes back toward the door. A nurse comes running in.  
"Please stay in the room." She demands.  
"But that's my sister..."  
"She's flatlining!" We hear somebody yell. Horror washes over me, she's flatlining. Trina holds the door frame for support. She looks at me, her face matching the terror on mine. There's nothing we can do. All we can do is listen.  
"100 volts... Clear!" We hear the defibrillator surge. Trina falls to her knees, sobbing.  
"200 volts... Clear!" Tears stream down my face, I can't lose her, not now. I can hear the heart monitor's long continuous beep, not detecting a pulse.  
"300 volts... Clear!" Please Tori, please...  
"AGAIN... Clear!" Please...  
"AGAIN... CLEAR!" ..._Beep..Beep..Beep  
_"Trina... Listen!" I hold my breath, please let that beep be real. _Beep..Beep..Beep  
_Trina let's out a sob of relief. The heart monitor is picking up Tori's pulse, her hearts beating, she's breathing. I've never been more relieved to hear a beeping machine. I lay back, trying to steady my breathing and calm down. I was so scared, more scared than I've ever been in my life.

Among the noises of the machines, I hear the doctors and nurse talking, about doing more tests on Tori. The nurse from before comes into my room.  
"She's ok, for now." She says as she helps Trina off the floor and into a chair beside my bed.  
"What happened?" Trina asks, through tears.  
"We're not sure yet. We are going to run some tests, we are going to keep a very close eye on her until then." She assured us.  
"Can we go see her?" I ask.  
"Not yet, we need to figure out what happened first. I'm so sorry Jade, I know you wanted to see her." She says regretfully "I'll keep you informed." She put a reassuring hand on Trina's shoulder before exciting the room.  
"That was so scary!" Trina whispers. I feel sick and light headed. I lay back, trying to keep calm.  
"Are you ok?" She asks me, looking just as sick as I felt.  
"I'm fine." Trying to play it off.  
"No you're not." She looks at me extremely frightened, she clutches my hand and squeezes it tight.  
"I can't believe what almost just happened." She says, her voice trembling. I return her squeeze as hard as I could (which actually wasn't hard at all). She lays her forehead on the bed next to me and begins to cry again. The overwhelming emotions of what just happened taking over her once more. I couldn't hold my tears in any longer either. We sat there for a long time like that. Neither of us could go see Tori, we both felt helpless.

* * *

I have been moved to a different ward, as I seem to be recovering quite quickly, much to the surprise of my doctors.  
"How are you feeling today, Jade?" Asks my doctor, Dr Michaels.  
"Can I get up today?" I ask for what seems like the hundredth time. He sighs at me and looks down at my chart.  
"I'll take that as good." He replies. I scowl at him. It's been a week since I woke up, and I still haven't been allowed out of bed. He looks up from my chart.  
"Your progress is remarkable, Jade. I never seen anything like it." He remarks.  
"Does that mean I can get up today?" I ask again. He ponders my question for a second.  
"Well, for someone who just woke up from a coma, you sure are full of energy." He says "ok, maybe we can just see you can stand first, how about that?"  
I nod "Thank you." Dr Michaels leaves the room and returns with a nurse. The nurse comes around and helps me to get off the bed.  
"Ok Jade, take it nice and easy." He says as my feet touch the ground. The nurse supports me as I try to put my full weight on my feet. I hold my self steady for about two seconds before my legs give out. The nurse and Dr Michaels catch me. I sit back on the bed, frowning.  
"Excellent Jade." He nods.  
"Excellent? Are you joking?" I exclaim.  
"Jade, you haven't used your legs for a month. You are doing amazingly. I can't even believe how far you've come in a week." He says with an encouraging smile. continue to frown.  
"Six days ago, you couldn't even sit up by yourself and two days later, you were doing it."  
"Your point?" I grumble.  
"You proved me wrong, I didn't think you could do that for at least week or more and you did it in two days. You're determined. You want to get up and walk, then do it." He says challenging me "it might take a bit of effort, but I think you can do it."  
We work on it for another hour. I was exhausted, but I managed to stand unaided for a minute. Dr Michaels beams down at me.  
"Excellent, I'll have the nurses work on that with you everyday." He says as he writes in my chart.  
"When can I finally go see Tori?" I ask. After Tori's death scare the other day, multiple test were done to try and figure out why she flatlined. She ended up having an infection, which they quickly treated. Trina says she's been getting better everyday, she was now breathing on her own. Although, she still hadn't woken up yet.  
"Well, how about you have a rest and I'll have a nurse take you up there this afternoon, sound good?" He smiles.  
'_Finally!_' I nod happily.  
"Do you think she'll wake up soon?" I ask. He was also Tori's doctor, he looks at me.  
"I won't lie to you Jade, I really don't know. These things take time." He replies.  
"It didn't with me." I say. He nods agreeingly.  
"You are quite the remarkable case, Jade. Something I've never quite seen before. You have to remember though, Tori took a lot more damage than you did when the tree hit you both." He says.  
"Will she be...her when she wakes up?" I asks quietly. He gives me a sympathetic look.  
"Again, I don't know. She seems to be responding a lot better now the infection's gone. Maybe a visit from you might help things along." He says hopefully. He pats me on the shoulder and leaves the room. My nerves creep into my stomach. What do I say to her?  
My nurse seems to read my thoughts "Are you always this much of a stress head?"  
"What?" Pulling me out of my thoughts.  
"Stop stressing so much." She smiles at me, while taking my blood pressure.  
"Sorry, it's just... What if she wakes and she's not her, she's not Tori? Or what if she wakes and doesn't know me or what if she doesn't wake up at all?" All these horrible thoughts continue swirling.  
"Ok, stop!" She says sternly "you're making your blood pressure rise."  
"Sorry" I sigh.  
"Look, I can't tell you it's going to be ok, because well, we don't know what's going to happen."  
"You're not making me feel any better." I grumble.  
"I'm just saying, what happens will happen. You've got to take it as it comes, just be there for her. Talk to her, sing to her. You never know what kind of effect it'll have." She finishes. She finishes her work and leaves the room and leaves me still worrying about seeing Tori.

* * *

A nurse, by the name of Tammy, arrives in room around 3 o'clock. She walks in with a beaming smiling and a wheelchair.  
"Hi there Kiddo!" Her cheery attitude is sickening.  
"Um.. Hi" I reply, with no cheer.  
"I'm here to take you to see a pretty young lass up on the forth floor." She says rather upbeat.  
"Oh, you're taking me to see Tori?" Great, she's more perky than Cat.  
"Yes indeedy!" She chuckles, ignoring the judgemental face I am currently pulling. She comes around and helps my out of bed and into the wheelchair. Hooking all my essential medication I was still on to the chair.  
"Alrighty Kiddo, let's rock and roll!" She says. I slightly groan to myself. We make our way out of the room and down the long corridors.  
"So the doctors tell me you're quite the fighter." Tammy begins making conversation.  
"Am I?" I reply, not totally interested.  
"Hm mm. You don't see a lot of patients trying to rip out their breathing tubes when they're in a coma." She continues.  
"Is that so?" In a monotone voice.  
"Dr Michaels is very impressed with your recovery."  
"Hm." I really wish she'd stop talking. I was so nervous about seeing Tori, and she wasn't helping.  
"He thinks you visiting Miss Tori might help in hers. You two being so close and all." She says.  
"How do you know about that?" I ask.  
"I'm one of Tori's nurses, Trina plays all these videos of you talking and singing to her everyday. I don't know why, but it just seems make her brain so active." She replies. We make our way into an elevator. She hits the button for the fourth floor.

Hearing her tell me all this, seems to make me more nervous. What if I get in there and I can't think of anything to say? What if I choke?  
"You alright sunshine? You look like you're going to vomit." She asks concerned.  
"Just nervous." I reply. She nods understandingly as the doors open on the forth floor.  
"That's alright. It's good to be nervous, I'd be concerned if you weren't." She says. We walk down another long corridor until we reach room 205. I exhale nervously as we stop outside the room.  
"You'll do fine, just talk to her like normal." She says, reading my thoughts. We enter the room, I hear the beautiful sound of Tori's heart monitor. Her heart is still beating. As we approach, I see Tori laying in the hospital bed, her leg, suspended by a harness, is in a cast. She has a cast on her arm also. She has wires attached to her everywhere, her chest, her arm, her head, all monitoring her existence. Tammy stops the wheelchair by the bed.  
"Her injuries are healing quite well, her casts should come off in a few weeks." She explains. I nod, still taking in the sight of the injured, unconscious Tori.  
"Well, I'll leave you too it. I'll just be outside. Hit the button if you need anything." She turns and leaves the room.  
I sit there, not sure what to do. I stare at her for a minute. Her face is so passive, her are eyes closed, no emotion. I reach out and I grab her uninjured hand. It's warm. I hold it against my cheek. I'm so close, but she doesn't know I'm here. She doesn't know how I feel.  
"Hey Vega." I eventually say.  
"I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm here." It feels awkward talking to someone who can't talk back to me.  
"I've used to always hate how much you talked and now you can't talk back to me. I miss the sound of your voice." I hold her hand against my cheek again. Trying to feel her touch again.  
"I miss your touchy feeliness. What I wouldn't give right now for one of your hugs. I did always like them." A tear falls down my face.  
"God Tori, you've made me cry more times in the last week then I've ever cried before." I say wiping it away "See what's happening, you need to come back so I can be my bitchy self again. I'm not me without you."  
I hear her heart monitor start beeping a little faster. Maybe she does know I'm here.

* * *

It's been three weeks since I woke up in hospital. Although the doctors keep telling me I'm making a miraculous recovery, I didn't feel like I was recovering as quickly as I could.  
"These things take time Jade, you've come a long way already." Mum says trying to calm my latest outburst.  
"I just wish I could walk for longer than a few minutes without feeling like I need to rest. It's driving me nuts sitting all the time." I complain sourly, while sitting up in bed.  
"I know it's frustrating, but you're working so hard at it. Before you know it, you'll be back to your old self in no time." She says encouraging. I just grunt, I hated feeling so useless, having to rely on others for everything."You were in bed for three weeks Jade, it takes a toll. Things will get easier. Besides, you get to come home tomorrow. You can sleep your own bed and be in your own  
surroundings. It might help things along." She smiles. I frown, I did really want to go home, but the thought of leaving Tori in hospital just didn't sit right with me. It's been six weeks, she hasn't woke up fully yet. She has opened her eye about ten times over the last few weeks and been squeezing our hands when requested. The doctors say that it's a good sign that she's starting to come back.  
"Stop worrying, I'm going to bring you up here everyday so you can see Tori."  
"It's not just that, it just doesn't feel right leaving her here." I sigh, throwing myself back against my bed.  
Mum gives my a look cross between proud and sympathy. I don't think she's ever seen me care about someone the way I care about Tori.  
"She would understand honey, she wouldn't want you to be here." She says.  
"I guess so." I start to yawn, I guess I over did today with my physio.  
"Are you going up to see her this afternoon?" Mum asks.  
"Yeah, Tammy will come get me at 3 like always. They say me talking to her is helping a lot."  
"That's really good honey." She smiles "Well, I might head off. I have a few things I need to do before we bring you home tomorrow."  
"Ok, bye mum." She kisses me on the top of my head and leaves the room, bidding me goodbye. I look at the time, it was only one, still two hours before I can go see Tori. I pick up my phone and unlock it. I pull up my lock file and look at the picture that Cat took of Tori and I. I've been finding myself looking it a lot lately, trying to remember everything about that morning. I gaze at the peaceful looks on both of our faces. How I wish I'll be able to do this again. I yawn again, I hate feeling so tired. I feel my eyes closing and myself drifting.

The next thing I know, I feel someone poking my face. I grumble and swat them away. I hear familiar giggle and the poking continues. I open my eyes to see a beautiful smile. '_This can't be right, this must be a dream. I have to be dreaming again!_' I think as I stare at the beaming Latina now sitting on my bed.  
"Hello." She says.  
"Tori?" I blink several times to make sure of what I was seeing.  
"Jade?" She replies with a hint of sarcasm.  
"I am dreaming, aren't I?" I ask, sounding dumb.  
"Well, seeing as I'm currently in a coma a few floors up" she points to the ceiling "I would say there's a pretty good chance you're dreaming."  
She continues to smile at me, it was so nice to see it again, even if I was only dreaming.  
"You're looking well." She says "better than me anyway." She laughs.  
I frown "That's not funny, Vega!"  
"Uh oh, we're back on the last name. Come on Jade, it's a joke. Lighten up." She pushes me in the arm.  
"You almost died." I say solemnly. She gets up off the bed.  
"I know, but I didn't. I'm still breathing, I came back. Those electric shocks are something else."  
I frown at her casualness towards the subject.  
"You haven't fully come back yet." I remind her.  
"I'm trying, believe me. It's a lot harder to come out of these things than you see in movies or read in stories." She walks around, looking at all the well wishes and flowers that were placed around the room.  
"Can you hear me?" I ask quietly. She turns and looks at me.  
"I can always hear you. I always know when you're there. I try so hard to wake up. I guess my brain's just not ready yet." She says sadly. I continue to watch her, this dream Tori seems exactly as I remember her.  
"You look worried?!" She notices.  
"I am."  
"Why?"  
"What if... What if you're not the same when you wake up?" I ask, voicing a fear that's been troubling me since I woke up. She ponders my question.  
"Not all stories have a happy ending Jade." She say after a while.  
"What's that suppose to mean?" Taking me by surprise.  
"I mean, we don't know what's going to happen. Our story might not end the way we want it too, but then again, it might. We just don't know." She's being cryptic. She pulls out a pink rose from one of the many bouquets and smells it.  
"So you're going home tomorrow? That's good." She smiles at me, changing the subject.  
"I guess." I shrug. She frowns at me.  
"Come on Jade, you can't honestly say you prefer this hospital room to your own. I know you really want to go home." She says, I don't respond. She furrows her brows, while twirling the flower in her hand.  
"I can't believe it." She suddenly gasps in amazement.  
"Believe what?" I say somewhat startled.  
"You feel guilty, don't you?" She says. I again, don't respond.  
"Jade! You can't do this to yourself." She says exasperated. I cross my arms and turn my head to look out the window.  
"It just doesn't feel right leaving you here." I say after a while. She sighs sympathetically and comes and sits beside me on the bed again.  
"You have survivors guilt." She says as she places the flower on my lap and pulls my hands out and holds them.  
"It should be me up there, not you." I say quietly.  
"Jade, we got hit by a tree. There was no way of avoiding that. There was no way you could have protected me from it. I was on top of you. I did what was necessary to save you." She says.  
"It should have been me protecting you, not the other way around. I should have been the one that got the damage, not you. You didn't deserve this. It should have been me." I argue. She shakes her head  
"No, it's better this way."  
"What do you mean?" I ask rather forcefully.  
"You're so much stronger than me. If the situation was reversed, I don't think I'd be strong enough to help you. I don't know if you'd hear me the way I hear you. You give me the strength that I don't have." She says. I completely disagree with her, but I don't say anything. She let's go of my hands and picks the flower back up.  
"It's time for me to go." She says sadly. I look up at her, trying to capture her in my memory before I wake up.  
"I expect to hear you're grumpy voice very soon." She says, poking at my face, trying to make me smile. I don't smile, I don't want her to go.  
"Oh don't be like that, I love it when you smile." She pouts. I look at her sadly.  
"I don't want to go either, but seeing as I'm a figment of your imagination and that you're going to wake up soon, I have to go." She explains regretfully "Please.. One smile, please." She pouts again. I finally give in and smile at her.  
She laughs "Yay, there it is." She throws her arms around me and pulls me into a hug. I close my eyes. Feeling her warmth and presence, never wanting this to end.  
"I'll see you soon, Jade." She whispers in my ear "it's time to wake up."  
My eyes are heavy and I feel myself drifting again, drifting away from her. My time in this dream is now over.

I open my eyes and sit up, feeling somewhat rested. I look around my room, she wasn't there. It was really just a dream. It felt so real. I sigh to myself. I look at the time, it's ten to three. Tammy will be here soon to take me to see Tori. I lean back and close my eyes, trying to remember my dream. It wasn't long before Tammy so cheerfully bursts into my room.  
"Afternoon Jade!" She says far too loud.  
"Hello Tammy." I say in bored tone. She gets me set up in the wheelchair, as usual and we make our way out of the room. She stops briefly and looks at all the flowers.  
"Gosh, you have a lot of flowers. Oh and these roses are just gorgeous." She gushes. I merely nod at her, not even noticing one of the roses is missing.

* * *

**Two weeks later**

Slowly but surely, Tori has begun to wake up a little more each day. Sometimes she opens her for a few seconds, sometimes it's for a few minutes. The longer she keeps eyes opened the more she watches us. She follows us around the room with her eyes, like she knows who we are. She seems more comfortable now her casts are off.

"She likes to stare at you when she's awake." Trina says. I see Tori's mum nodding in agreement.  
"She seems fascinated by you Jade." Holly says "she doesn't stay awake nearly as long with us when you're not here."  
"It must be my startling good looks." I say with a smirk. Holly laughs and playfully whacks my arm. I look over and see Tori laying in the bed with her eyes closed. The more we talk the more responsive she becomes. The doctors are very happy with her progress.  
We continue laughing as Dr Michaels enters the room.  
"Hello ladies, how are we today?" He asks, as he picks up Tori's chart.  
"Speaking of startling good looks!" Holly whispers to herself. I raise eyebrows in amused surprise.  
"We're good, Dr Michaels." Trina says, completely missing her mothers comment. He looks over and sees me.  
"Ah Jade, my favourite feisty patient. Did you cause any trouble for you physiotherapist today?" He asks.  
"Not today, but there's always tomorrow." I grin. He chuckles to himself before returning his attention back to Tori's chart. He walks over to Tori's equipment and machinery to see if all is normal. I start watching Tori's face, she seems to be moving slightly. I move a little closer to her. She opens her eyes and looks at me. I smile at her, the room goes quiet.

"Hello." She says rather hoarsely. I hear Holly gasp beside me. It's the first time she's spoken.  
"Hi there." I respond kindly. She continues to look at me, like something was troubling her.  
"Are we friends?" She's asks. I was a little taken a back be the question, but I promptly answer it.  
"Last time I checked, we were." I nod.  
"Good, can you tell me what my name is?" She asks. I raise my eyebrows in shock, she doesn't know her name.  
"Your name is Tori."  
"Tori... I like it." She smiles. Trina giggles a little at Tori's dreamy tone.  
"And what's your name?" She asks with the same dreamy tone.  
"It's Jade." I tell her.  
"Wow!" She whispers loudly, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears.  
"What's wrong? I ask her, wondering if I said something wrong.  
"It's just, that's such a beautiful name!" She gushes. Trina tries hard to stifle her laugh.  
"Thank you." I say, smiling at her.  
She sighs "You're welcome." Then turns away and closes her eyes, seemly like going back to sleep.  
"Excellent! That's really excellent." Dr Michaels exclaims "she's coming out faster than expected. This is wonderful news."  
"But she didn't know who she was?" I say, '_she didn't know who I was._' I think sadly.  
"I might reduce her morphine, that'll probably help. Keep talking to her, all of you. She'll come back. I have a good feeling about it." He reassured us. He fills out the rest of Tori's chart, before asking us to record any other things Tori does. He bids us goodbye, giving Holly a slight wink before walking out the door.

"Wow, that was amazing. I can't believe she spoke." Holly exclaims with joy. We continue chatting together and talking to Tori. Telling her things about her life and things in general while she wasn't awake. It was about an hour later she started to open her eyes again, I got my camera ready. She looks around the room and smiles at us, but this time her eyes fall to Trina.  
"I know you." She states.  
"You do. I'm your sister, Trina." Trina beams at her.  
"Sister...Trina..." I can see her thinking and processing this information, then her eyes widened.  
"I tried to drown you once." She says surprised. I crack up laughing. Tori looks at me and I nod at her to assure her she was right.  
"Yes Tori, you did try to drown me once." Trina says half happily. She's happy Tori remembers something, but she's not happy that she herself had to remember it.  
"Oh, I'm really sorry!" She says getting a little upset.  
"You won't be when you remember why you did it." I continue laughing.  
"Jade!" Trina shots me a dirty look. Holly is laughing beside me as well.  
"Don't worry baby, we forgive you for almost drowning Trina." Holly laughs.  
Tori stares at her mother, gives her a really long hard look.  
"Mum." She says. Holly went from laughing to crying almost immediately. Tori looks like she may have upset her and starts to get upset too.  
"No, Tori. Those are happy tears." I say to her smiling.  
"Happy?" She asks a little confused. I nod at her. Holly comes over to her and hugs Tori. After a while Holly pulls back looking a little calmer but so happy. Tori looks over at Trina.  
"Trina..." She looks over at Holly "Mum..." Then looks over at me "Jade."  
"Yes Tori, that's right!" Trina says excitedly. Tori smiles, then decides she's tired and goes back to sleep. I finish my recording.  
"Amazing." I say. We all had the biggest smiles on our faces. I couldn't have been any happier. She is coming back and when she's back, I'm going to finally tell her. Tell that I love her.

* * *

**Two months later**

It's been a long time coming but Tori is finally coming home today. The renovations on the Vega's house were finished a few weeks ago and Tori's room was all ready for her to come home. Both of us have come in leaps and bounds in our recoveries. I'm almost completely recovered. I still get a little tired, but all in all, I feel so much better. As for Tori, as soon as they started reducing her medication, everything started to come back to her, slowly at first. The moment when everything finally hit her was about three weeks ago.

_I'd gone to see her after my physio session and I walked in singing to myself. I was singing 'Make it Shine'. I was not entirely sure why I was singing that song, it just seemed to have gotten stuck in my head. I noticed she was sleeping, so I started cleaning up some of the old flowers around her room, singing while I did._

_"You don't have to be afraid to put your dreams in action" I sang quietly to myself. Not noticing that Tori had started to stir._

_"You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction" I continued._

_"What are you singing?" She asked. I jumped slightly and turned around to see her staring at me curiously._

_"Hey Vega, I didn't hear you wake up. I was singing a song our friend André wrote." I said. She furrowed her brows, like she was in deep thought. I went and sat beside her._

_"Come on Tori, remember?" I whispered too her. Suddenly, her head shot up and her eyes widened in realisation._

_"I sing that song." She said "I sang it at Hollywood Arts and I go to Hollywood Arts."_

_"Yeah, that's right." I said encouragingly. She then gave me a hard look. _

_"You don't like me." She said sadly. 'I guess she doesn't quite remember making up.' I thought to myself._

_"Ok, we didn't get along for a while but things changed. You don't remember why I came around the night of our accident?" I asked. She frowned at me, she'd be having trouble remembering it. I picked up her phone to show her the video she took of me that night. Although, Trina's played the video to her for weeks, she'd only played it to her when she was unconscious. She had never seen it while she was awake. I cued the video and handed it to her. My voice rang out of the speaker. I can hear Tori laughing in the background at me, I can also hear the storm that put us in this situation. Once it was over, I saw tears rolling down Tori's face. _

_"What's wrong?" I asked concerned._

_"I'm sorry that I forgot." She cried harder. _

_I laugh a little "Oh Tori, it's ok. You did get hit in the head pretty hard. So I think I can forgive you." I rub her arm slightly. She gave me a weak smile and leaned forward. I wrapped my arms around her. _

After that day, remembering became a lot easier for Tori. She's even begun walking. It's a slow process, just like it was with me but I know she'll get there because I'm going to help her. Which is why I'm heading over to the Vega's house to welcome her home. I decide to give her a little welcome home gift, it's the picture Cat took of us last year. The one where we were sleeping. Nobody knows I actually have it, but it became quite the comfort for me over the last few months, especially when we didn't know if Tori was going to make it. I pick up the small frame and look at the picture. The two of us holding each other in peaceful slumber. I don't know if Tori feels the same way as me, but that didn't matter right now. I'll tell her when the time is right. I continue gazing at the picture, when I hear a knock at me bedroom door. I turn and see Beck.

"Hey Babe" he struts in.  
"Um...Hey. Can you not call me babe anymore? We're not dating, so it's a little weird!" I say, not particularly caring about the tone in which I said it.  
"Yeah, about that. That's kind of why I came around." He says nervously. '_Ah jeez!_' I think.  
"With everything that's happened, I just think it would be a good idea if, you know, you and I maybe.." He walks closer to me, rubbing his finger against my arm. I pull my arm away.  
"I'm gonna stop you right there, Beck. No!" I turn away from him. I place the frame on my desk and start to grab a few other things I need.  
"Oh come on Jade, please? You almost died. I can't lose you." He comes up behind me and tries to put his arms around me. I immediately pull out of his grasp.  
"Dude, what are you doing?" I shout at him.  
"Jade, you know this is right. We need each other." He reasons. I give him a disgusted look.  
"Beck I said no. I don't want to get back with you. I don't need you." I shout again. He looks confused, I don't know why, I'm making it extremely clear.  
"But... Babe..." He pleads "We so good together. I have a good effect on you." I frown at him, I pick up the photo frame and hand it to him.  
"No, you had a good effect on me. You don't anymore." I say forcefully.  
He looks at the photo, he looks quiet shocked at it. He clearly wasn't expecting to something like this.  
"I... When..." He stutters out. I snatch the frame back.  
"Cat took it ages ago. She thought I deleted it. As did Tori. She started having her own effect on me, one much greater than yours. I fought it Beck, I did. When I couldn't do it anymore, I had to call it quits with you. I only went around to Tori's house that night to finally stop fighting with her because I couldn't do that anymore either." I explain. He looks like someone's just punched him in the face.  
"You broke up with me for... her?" He asks.  
"I guess, in a sense. She has no idea though." I turn and put the frame in a gift box sitting on my desk.  
"I still want this Jade." He says quietly. I hear somebody clear they're throat behind us. I turn and see my dad.  
"She said no Beckett." Dad says in his deep commanding voice.  
"Oh, Mr West. It's really good to see you again. Jade and I were just talking and..." Beck begins, trying to sweet talk my dad.  
"She said no." He repeats. I'd never seen my dad act this way before. He's never really stood up for me.  
"I... But sir.." Beck tries to talk.  
"Please leave!" Dad says sternly. He steps aside, giving Beck clearance for the door. Knowing he was defeated, he hangs head and walks out.  
"Are you ok?" Dad asks once Beck had left.  
"Yeah, I'm ok. Thanks." I'm actually a little speechless.  
"I never really liked him." He says "pretty boy!" He mutters after.  
"I promise I won't ever get back with him." I say to dad, I feel like he and I are having a moment, might as well enjoy it. He looks at me quite relieved.  
"Good. I've been hoping you were finally going to tell Tori, but him being here worried me a little."  
"Dad, are you really ok with me being in love with Tori?" It had troubled me that it didn't seem to bother him. He sighs and sits on the bed.  
"Jade, I know you and I haven't ever really seen eye to eye. But I've only ever wanted what's best for you and what makes you happy. And if Tori makes you happy, then I don't see why it would matter." He says "Over the past few months, I've begun to realise how short life really is." He looks at me, his eye welling a little.  
"We almost lost you Jade. I don't want to spend the rest of our lives fighting because you didn't turn out to be the daughter we envisioned. You have done so many great things and it's time I accepted you for who you are. I love you." He says.  
I stood there, floored. My father had never spoken to me like this or ever indicated that my life choices were ones he was happy with. I can't even remember the last time he told me he loved me.  
"Jade, I'm sorry it took you almost dying for me to finally see things the way I should be. I don't deserve your forgiveness but one day I hope that you and I could be father and daughter again." He finishes. I hadn't realised I was crying until I suddenly felt tears rolling down my face. I walk over and hug him. It's something I'd always wanted from him. Acceptance.

-x-

I finally make my way over to the Vega's house, a little later than I intended. My talk with my dad was an emotional one. I'd never been this kind of emotional before, angry sure, but crying all the bloody time, nope, not me. It's a whole new kind of thing for me, I new softer side. Not everyone needs to see it I guess, just the ones I care about.  
I finally pull up in the Vega's driveway. I feel so what nervous. I get out and go knock on the door. Trina answers.

"It's about time." She puts her hand on her hip.  
"Sorry, Beck showed up and then I had kind of an emotional chat with my dad and why am I explaining all of this to you." I walk past her, smirking.  
"Because you and I are friends." She points out.  
"Fuck, when did that happen?" I slap my forehead. She shoves me in the shoulder.  
"Tori's upstairs weirdo." She says before walking off into the kitchen. I walk upstairs, my nerves intensify and I'm not entirely sure why. Tori remembers pretty much everything now, so I'm sure she'll remember the morning the picture was taken. Will she be mad that I actual kept it?  
I clutch the gift box a little tighter. I walk down the hallway to Tori's new room. Holly walks out.

"Jade honey, you're here!" She exclaims excitedly. She walks over and hugs me tight.  
"Hey Mrs V, how's she doing?" I ask.  
"A little tired, but I'm sure she'll perk right up when she sees you." She says happily.  
"Oh how times have changed. I remember when she used to dread seeing me." I laugh.  
"I don't know, I'm not sure she ever dreaded it that much." She says.  
"What do you mean?" I furrow my brows questioningly.  
She puts her hand on my shoulder "Ah Jade, Tori is really a brilliant actress." She laughs and winks at me, before walking downstairs. Leaving me to ponder over that slightly weird encounter. I shake my head remembering the task at hand. I walk the last few metres to Tori's room and open the door. She was sitting up in bed, looking almost completely back to normal. Her long brown hair cascading down her back, her tan skin glowing in the light of the afternoon sun and her bright beaming smile, that's now currently directed at me. I really could never get sick of that smile.

"Jade!" She says happily. I smile at her and go sit on the end of her bed.  
"Hey Tori, how are you feeling today?" I ask.  
"Great, now you're here. How come you were late?" She enquiries. I put the gift box down beside me.  
"Beck decided to pay me a visit. He wanted to..ah..chat." I say kind of awkwardly.  
"Chat about what?" She asks.  
I sigh heavily "He wanted to get back together, given everything that happened."  
Her face falls, I can see sadness envelop her.  
"Oh, well I guess that's good then." She says, forcing a rather cheery tone.  
"Why would that be good?" I raise an eyebrow.  
"Um, you know... You guys have such a long history." She says.  
"Right, history." Noticing how this news is effecting her. I decide to mess with her, just a little bit.  
"So you think I should get back with him?" I ask, knowing she'll tell me yes, even though she means no.  
"I... Well, with your history... I guess it would seem like a... Logical choice." She stammers out.  
"Logical? I see." I pretend to muse over that thought. She looks out the window, with a sad look on her face. I couldn't mess with her anymore.  
"But you know, I've never really been one for logic." I say thoughtfully. She looks back at me confused.  
"I mean, in the years you've know me, when have I ever done the logical thing?" I ask her.  
"I guess you are rather erratic." She says, wondering where the conversation is heading.  
I nod at her agreeingly. She stares at me. I continue nodding, hoping she'll catch on soon.  
"So you didn't get back with Beck?" She looks at me weird, yet slightly hopeful.  
"No. I didn't." I say.  
"Oh!" She exclaims, breathing a sigh a relief "So how come?"  
"Oh you know, I'm rather partial to taking the non logical road." I joke. She blushes a little and grins.  
"And I think my dad would have a few things to say about it." I say. She raises an eyebrow. I explain what happened when dad came into my room and the conversation we had after. Well most of it.  
"Wow. Jade that's great." She smiles at me.  
"Yeah, it's weird, but a good weird." I smile back. We fall into a comfortable silence. I glance over at the gift box, it's now or never.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something." I start.  
"Ok, shoot."  
"Do you remember the morning after we won the Kesha concert?" She furrows her brows, thinking.  
"I made you stay the night before, right?" She asks. I nod my head.  
"Yeah, what about it?" She asks.  
"Do you by any chance remember how we woke up that morning?"  
She immediately blushes and clears her throat "Um, yeah. You and I were...um and Cat was hovering over us and took a picture."  
"Correct." I say, noticing she was still blushing.  
"Why do you want to know if I remember that?" She asks confused.  
"Ok, but you have to promise you won't get mad?!" She frowns, but agrees.  
"So you remember how I deleted the photo?" I ask, she nods "I sent it to myself before I deleted."  
Her eyes widen in shock "You kept it?"  
"I'm sorry, back then I wasn't even sure why I kept it. I just did." I explain. I pick up the box and hand it to her. She doesn't open it yet, so I continue.  
"I didn't really figure it out until later why I kept it but I'm glad I did. That picture brought me a lot of comfort while your were in hospital. I didn't know if you were going to make it or not and that picture... It helped me get through, hoping one day you would get better." I say, not quite revealing everything yet.  
She stares at me, I'm unsure what she's feeling right now, her expression is very passive.  
"I think you should look at the picture." I say, trying to move things along. She looks down and opens the box. She picks up the frame and looks at the picture. Her eyes widen and I hear a quiet gasp. She looks back up at me.  
"We look so..." She looks back down at the picture.  
"Peaceful?" I ask. She nods, gazing in awe at the picture. I have memorised the picture, the way our arms are interlocked, how Tori's head tucked in the crook of my neck and the dreamy grin permanently plastered on my face.  
"I've never seen that expression on your face before." She says astonished.  
I agree with her "Do you see why I kept it?"  
She nods her head, not taking her eyes off the picture. I'd been waiting for the right time to tell her how I feel, I'm not sure there would ever be a right time. So I'm just going to take a leap of faith.  
"It wasn't until I got home from the Kesha concert, I figured out why I had actual sent it to myself." I begin, my nerves starting to eat away at me. She tears her eyes away from the picture.  
"That night, we had so much fun. We danced, laughed and sang all night." I remind her "And we didn't fight once." She smiles to herself, clearly remembering that night.  
"When I got home, I felt...weird. About the whole thing. I remember wondering why it didn't bother me and how I really actually kind of enjoyed the whole night with you." I continue. She looks at me quizzically.  
"I had quite the argument with myself, I didn't want to admit it. How could I after all this time? How could things have changed so suddenly?" I say, she looks even more confused.  
"I continued looking at that picture that night until I realised. Realised, why I enjoyed the night with you, why I none of this no longer bothered me and why I had kept the picture."  
"Why? What did you realise?" She asks, hanging on my words.  
I take a deep breath "I realised... I liked you."  
"I... Oh, then why did it take you so long for you to want to be friends?" She asks with furrowed brows. '_Wow, she completely missed it!_' I facepalm.  
"No Tori, I realised I like you." She nods at me, but still not understanding.  
"Jeez Tori, how hard did you get hit on the head?" I mutter. She frowns and crosses her arms.  
"Ok, Miss Mysterious, spit it out then." She says.  
I laugh at her "I'm not sure how much clearer I can make it. I really like you Tori, more than a friend. In fact, I think I might actually love you." I finish. She stares at me wide eyes in surprise.  
"...Oh" Is all she can say. I guess she still is recovering from a slight brain injury, so I can forgive her for being a bit slow.  
"I know this is a lot to take in. I mean it took me an entire year to stop fighting it." I start to talk, since she wasn't.  
"Hold on, you liked me for a year and you never told me?" She asks a little annoyed.  
"Well, I was still with Beck..."  
"You broke up with Beck for me?" She interrupts.  
"Er...Yeah!" I reply.  
"And you didn't tell me?" She asks again.  
"But in all fairness, this isn't the first time I've told you that I loved you."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well, I thought I told you, it seems that I actually dreamt it. When I was in my coma, I thought that I had spent three weeks hanging out with you. I came here and told you how I felt and things were going rosy, until I woke up." I explain.  
"You dreamt about me?" She asks quietly.  
"Yeah, my dreams were as if nothing had happened. Now that I think about it, I only seemed to exist with you. Even though they were dreams, we had some fun times." I laugh.  
She gazes intently at me "I dreamt of you too. All the time."  
"Weird how these things work, huh?" I smile. She smiles back then gazes back at the picture.  
"Like I said before, what I've just told you is a lot to take in..." I start.  
"Yeah, it is." Her tone completely changing, it surprises me "I'm gonna have to think about all of this." She says extremely seriously.  
"I...Oh...yeah, ok, I guess, yeah. No that's fine." I stammer out '_What just happened?_' I think.  
"I might leave you too it then." I get up too leave, not looking back at her. This conversation took a rather startling turn all of a sudden. I think after all this time, I kind of deserved that. Maybe I just read her body language wrong, I was so sure things were going to work out.

'I guess _Dream Tori was right, not every story has a happy ending_' I think sadly. I continue walking towards the door, I grasp the handle, when my phone suddenly rings. I stop and look at it, it's Tori. I raise a questioning eyebrow at it and look over my shoulder. She has the phone pressed to her ear and is looking out the window. I sigh and indulge her.  
I clear my throat "Hello."  
"Jade, it's Tori." She says, hearing a hint of silliness in her voice.  
"Jesus Christ" I mutter, smirking slightly "Hey Tori, what's up?" I turn and look at her, she's still staring out the window.  
"So, I thought about it." I see her grin.  
"Oh yeah, and what did all this thinking lead too?" I ask, playing along. She finally turns her head to me and hangs up the phone.  
"That, I couldn't possibly love someone more than I love you. Even though we fight and annoy each other, I need you. I'm not me without you." She says with so much feeling. I walk over and sit right beside her, grab the her face with both hands and kiss her. I pour all of my emotions into it, I need her to feel everything. She kisses back with just as much force, making me feel her emotions as well. Eventually we pull back, I rest my forehead on hers.  
"That was mean, Vega." I say to her. She giggles mischievously.  
"I know, but you had me going with the whole Beck thing." She points out.  
"Touché" I lean back in and kiss her again. As cheesy as it sounds, I felt the fireworks.

* * *

**Eight years later**

It's been eight year since our horrible accident. So much has happened. Tori went on too make a full recovery. No signs of permanent injures. It took a lot of work though, she had intense physio sessions almost everyday but eventually she could walk normally again. Although, she can always tell when it's going to rain, her leg seems to ache a little.

Even though we both missed a lot of school, we were able to catch up in the summer. Which actually kind of sucked but it was way better than having to repeat. Our teachers were more than happy to help us out, they made sure to give is everything we needed to pass our year. Tori caught up six months of work in 8 weeks, quite the achievement.

Tori and I starting dating after that day we confessed our feelings. Much to the delight of our parents, which took us both by surprise that they were all cool with it. Our friends on the other hand were a little more surprised, well except for Cat. Beck really took it the hardest. It took him a long time to really accept us. Not that I cared what he thought, but Tori did. Our relationship caused a small rift in the group. Which Tori tried so hard to fix. It took Beck until half way through our senior year to get over it. Cat on the other hand had an album dedicated to Tori and I on her slap page. She would take sneaky pics of us when we were looking and upload them, her excuse was always "But you guys look sooo cute!". I'll be honest, most of the pictures actually were really cute. Which disgusted me completely, I would complain to Tori that she ruined me.

After high school, I started writing full time. I manage to land one of my scrips in the hands of a famous broadway producer. He loved it and has gone to produce more than four of my plays. My work has always had mixed reviews due their dark nature, but I've one three Tony's, so I guess I'm doing something right.

Tori decided too not only have a singing career but also one in acting. She started out acting, it took a while in auditions but once she landed her first role, there was no stopping her. After about three years acting, she decided to branch out into music. She has released two albums and won a Grammy.

We've been together now eight years and things haven't always been easy. Although, we always made it through our rough patches, lately I've been finding it hard. We work away from each other so much, it's difficult.

"So are you really going to do this?" Cat asks. She's come over this afternoon to calm my latest freak out.  
"Cat, we've been together eight years and lately we barely even see each other. I've got to do something." I sigh, covering my face with my hands.  
"I guess it is time. I was expecting you to do it a while ago actually." She says.  
"Yeah, I just hope she doesn't freak out. Honestly it's the last thing I want."  
"What if she does take it badly?" She asks concerned.  
"Why do you think I'm doing it here, rather than a public place. Less likely to make a scene." I grumble. She nods her head, agreeing with me. She reaches over grabs my hand.  
"Whatever happens tonight, I'll always be here." She smiles.  
"Thanks Cat, what would I do without you?" I say honestly. After all these years, she's still my best friend.  
"You'd have to cook your own two course dinner." She laughs. I may have also persuaded her to cook the dinner Tori and I will be having tonight, while having our little chat. She's always loved Cat's cooking, so if things turn sour tonight, at least we'll have something good to eat.  
"Thanks Cat." I smile at her "I better go get ready" She gives me a hug.  
"Good luck. Call me and let me know what happens, ok?"  
"Yeah I will." I turn and walk upstairs to take a shower. I'm absolutely racked with nerves. I never thought it would end up like this. After my shower, I open up the closet and pick out my outfit. I get dressed, fix my hair and make up and go back downstairs. I was down there no more than five minutes before Tori comes home.

"Hey Jade." She says as she comes through the door.  
"Hey."  
"What smells so good?" She asks breathing in deeply.  
"Oh, Cat made dinner." I reply.  
"Wow, that's sweet of her." She smiles. I plate up dinner and set it down at the table. The conversation starts off as normal, asking each other how their day was. My nerves are getting worse by the second, if I don't do this soon, I'm going to explode.

"Tori? You know I love you right?" I begin.  
"Yes of course."  
"Well lately, with everything going on with work, things have been difficult." I say "With me always traveling back and forth for New York and you have your upcoming tour, it just seems we don't see as much of each other anymore."  
She gives me a confused look "What are you saying?"  
I take a deep breath "I'm saying, that maybe being your girlfriend just isn't enough for me anymore." She simply stares at me, waiting for me to continue.  
"Which is why, I think we should... Get married." I say, pulling out a blue box and setting it in front of her. Her eyes widen in shock as she stares at the giant ring in front of her.  
"Ten years ago, you barged into my life and annoyed the crap out of me. Nine years ago, I realised I liked you even though I hated you and then eight years ago, you almost died trying to save me. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. I know things have been rough lately but you have and always will bring the best out in me. I'm not me without you." I pick up the ring box and get on one knee.  
"Tori Vega, will you marry me?" I ask. She stares at me, blinks three times then starts laughing.  
"Um... What's so funny?" I ask, suddenly very confused. She fiddles around in her jacket pocket for a second before pulling out her own little blue box.  
"I was going to ask you the same question, but I guess you beat me too it!" She laughs. I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding and begin to laugh too. She opens her ring box and I see a beautiful ring with a rather large ruby in the middle instead of a diamond.  
"Well I'm going to have to think about this." I joke, looking at her ring. She kicks me in the leg. I laugh and get up.  
"So I take it we're both saying yes?" She asks. I lean down and kiss her passionately, the same fireworks I felt years ago still there.  
"Yes" I say as we pull back.  
"Yes" She purrs before pulling me back into a kiss, only finally pulling away when we ran out of breath. We exchange rings and sit back down, both of us grinning from ear too ear.

"I thought you were breaking up with me, you jerk." She pouts.  
"I'd never break up with you Vega. Who would I annoy then?" I say.  
"That's true, nobody else would put up with you." She laughs.  
We continue eating for a bit when "Oh!" She exclaims suddenly.  
"What?"  
"This means I can call you Vega now!" She says, rather seriously.  
"WHAT!"  
"Well, you'll be taking my last name, right?" She grins.  
"No." My eyes widen in horror, Dear god, why?  
"Oh yes. Vega honey, lets have dessert." She giggles getting up from the table. Quickly running into the kitchen. I get up and chase her, there is no way she's going to start calling me Vega. She laughs even louder as she runs around the kitchen.  
"Vega, do you want ice cream too?" She says loudly.  
"NO!" I yell, trying to catch her.  
"Vega, Vega, Vega!" She chants, escaping my grasp and running out kitchen and into the lounge room.  
"Get back here!" I run after her, finally catching her arm. She laughs while trying to escape but loses her balance and we both fall on the lounge. I land on top of her.  
"Don't call me Vega, Vega!" I say seriously.  
"Vega!" She laughs at my grumpy face. I groan loudly and rest my head on her shoulder.  
"Why do I put up with you?"  
"Because nobody else will." She replies cheekily. I lift my head and look at her seriously.  
"I'm not going to be Mrs Jade Vega!"  
"Oh but it has such a ring to it." She pouts.  
"No."  
"Yes!"  
"NO!" Fighting back.  
"You'll give in." She says confidently.  
"Really and what makes you say that?" I say just as confidently, knowing there's nothing that could get me to give in.  
"When we go to bed tonight, I'm going to do that thing that you love so much. You know the one where I..." She pulls my in and whispers the rest of her sentence in my ear. I blush very hard at the thought, this one thing could pretty much get me to agree to anything.  
"You would use my one weakness against me to get what you want?" I ask, a little flustered.  
"Yep."  
"I knew there was a reason I was marrying you." I smile, leaning in and kissing her.  
"But I won't give in this time." I say standing strong.  
"Yes you will, I love you Mrs Jade Vega." She purrs in my ear "because I won't stop until you give in.  
'_I guess if she puts it that way, maybe it won't be so bad!_' I think blissfully, it was going to be a long night.


End file.
